How to choose a UX design agency
Product Design
Dec 20, 2025
Price is only one part of selecting a UX agency. We recommend taking a critical look on these 5 crucial aspects:
Process
Portfolio
Services
Proposal
Reviews
Scrutinising these parts of your preferred UX design agencies’s offerings will help you find the best fit. Here’s how.
What to evaluate
1. Process
The UX design process is pretty standardized, so at first blink, you won’t notice major differences between agencies. You’ll likely see personas, wireframing, prototyping, testing, iterations and final screens among their offerings.
Top agencies will also include UX research and have more experience than others. But the main difference lies elsewhere.
When reviewing processes, ask yourself: do they value client input in their process?
The best UX design agencies will view client input as a must. More than that, they will want you to consider the final result 100% yours.
To see if this mentality is present, look for:
Proactivity in the planning process
Kickoff workshops to get to know your business
Iterative design sprints, so they can instantly implement your suggestions
Presenting ideas and offering alternatives during meetings
2. Portfolio
Pretty portfolios are easy to come by. All agencies have outstanding design work that’ll wow you with sleek looks, great usability and sophisticated solutions. So… should you choose the ones that look the best? We suggest you go deeper.
When reviewing case studies, ask yourself: is their portfolio aligned with your business?
Consider what level of experience they have with your industry, users and type of products.
Look for the following green flags:
Experience with issues like yours (eg. complexity, data visualisation, easy onboarding)
Focus on client pain points over design challenges
Measurable results. While business metrics are not always available for agencies, you should see UX success indicators among the results, like engagement, adoption, or retention.
No copy-paste solutions. Don’t bet on a one-trick pony. Designs should be distinct.
3. Services
UX design agencies offer similar services, from product design to webdesign, service design or MVPs. Instead of being bogged down by terminology, take a step back to assess the quality of their services.
When reviewing UX services, ask yourself: do they have a data-driven mindset?
If your selected UX design agency won’t invest time into UX research, it likely means that you’re dealing with an agency not primarily motivated to deliver good, data-backed, lasting work. Jump off the conveyor belt and look for more in-depth services.
It’s a good sign when:
It’s easy to understand what each service includes
Agencies ask you a lot of questions to help you select the best services
Offerings include UX audits (so the designers won’t start from scratch)
You see UX consultancy and research listed: it means they know their stuff
4. Proposal
Once you have requested a proposal, look at its quality. It should be detailed without being overwhelming. A truly caring UX design agency will have a clear plan for your business, market, and users.
When reviewing proposals, ask yourself: is the proposal custom-made for your company?
The proposal should reflect what you’ve already discussed with your team. If it feels vague or generic, your project may be in better hands elsewhere.
Look for:
Transparency, from scope to pricing and availability.
Clear deliverables, based on a business goal discussed with your team.
Flexibility, because life happens
Project management details
Feature prioritization in the roadmap
5. Reviews
There’s what UX agencies say about themselves, and then there’s what former clients say.
When reviewing reviews, ask yourself: are these credible, authentic reviews from real customers?
Beyond flattering testimonials presented on agency sites, look for verified reviews on platforms like Dribble and Behance.
Check reviews to see:
Are the highlighted values in line with what you want in your partner?
Do they deliver on their promises?
What’s the feedback on quality, schedule, and business outcomes?
Conflicts are unavoidable; can you find information on how your chosen agency reacts when it happens?
What to ask on calls
Client calls can be handled by professional business developers, a hands-on CEO or business-savvy designers. Whatever the case, this is your time to dig deeper and go beyond marketing promises, quotes and RFPs.
We asked Kraftbase CEO, Dhaval Agarwal, for insider insights. If you hate wasting time half as much as he does, ask these 5 questions when vetting UX design agencies.
Ask: what design process do you use?
UX design is an innovative process. “Most design teams have their own way of discovering user needs, prototyping, usability testing, and working with developers,” Dhaval explained. “When they talk about their design process, you will feel when they know what they are talking about.”
However, keep in mind how every product is different. “When we work with clients, we almost always customize our process to each particular client,” Dhaval said.
Ask: Can I keep the design team on an ongoing basis?
While you are building your product, new problems and new opportunities will arise. Your product will change a lot during the design process, and these changes will require changes in your original plan. Prepare for it.
“In reality, we never really finish a design,” Dhaval shared. “As long as the product lives, you will need regular design activities. Even if you hire a design team for a fixed project, you will likely need to extend the project or start a new one later.
So when you talk with potential UX partners, ask if they can provide you with the same design team on an ongoing basis. In this case, they can base the pricing on time.”
Ask: do you have dedicated UX researchers?
When you collaborate with a data-driven UX team, they will bring you new customer insights every week. You will get surprising amounts of data, and you’ll get them directly from your customers.
“The only issue with UX research [is that it] takes time,” Dhaval says. “Some designers say they do research or usability testing as well. In reality, they rarely have the time. So a dedicated UX researcher attending to your product can really make a difference.”
Dhaval also suggests a follow-up question to test the waters: ask if you can join the user tests and interviews. Those who do real research will appreciate your presence and insights.
Ask: how can I support the UX company experts’ daily work?
UX design is collaborative to its core. When you hire a UX company, you hire them for full service. You can trust them to create amazing designs, but you can never leave them completely alone. They need your input. You know your business best, so you will have to stay involved through the whole process. This is why this question is so important.
“When you ask how you can support the UX team, you also establish a great relationship,” Dhaval added. “It emphasizes how deeply you have invested in the success of the project. It shows your readiness to do your part, whatever it takes.”
Ask: will the UX designers work full time on my product?
In some agencies, designers work on several projects simultaneously. “I have never seen good results from these teams,” Dhaval commented. “When a designer works on many projects at once, you will never know their priorities. Even superior time management skills don’t guarantee good results.”
He elaborated, “Much of the design work doesn’t happen as you’re sitting next to your computer. I usually think a lot about different design solutions while commuting or in the shower. When a designer works only on your product, you will know they will be thinking about your product all the time.”
How to create an RFP for UX agencies
When you don’t have the time or resources to evaluate agencies in depth or join multiple calls, sending out a Request for Proposal (RFP) is often the next step.
Clients often find it just as difficult to articulate their complex challenges as agencies do to solve them. This might explain the abundance of RFP templates, step-by-step guides, and why ChatGPT is frequently called in to help draft them.
Based on our experience, a strong UX RFP includes:
Intro: Your business challenge and why you’re seeking a partner.
Stakeholders: Who’s going to be involved.
Assets & inspiration: Links, files, style guides, mood boards.
Budget: Even if approximate—sharing more helps agencies create realistic proposals.
Timeline: Dates for RFP due, selection, kickoff.
Deliverables: Phases, milestones.
Current stats: Traffic, conversion, bounce, etc. – if you have them.
Evaluation criteria: What matters—impact, process, creativity, accessibility.
Submission guidelines: Where, how, what to send.
In their responses, UX agencies will usually focus on your main objectives, milestones, available resources, existing research, and the overall scope and complexity of the project.
If Kraftbase seems like a good fit, we’d be happy to receive your RFP! Contact us here.
Dhaval Agarwal
